Objectively, it is worth recognizing that the Raptor aquafumigator is a rather interesting and original remedy for insect control in domestic conditions. Originality consists, first of all, in a non-standard principle of operation, which is partly similar to the principle of operation of the “hot fog” popular among professional exterminators and insecticidal smoke bombs.
On a note
Processing the premises with the so-called "hot fog" is considered one of the most effective professional methods for the extermination of bedbugs and cockroaches, and therefore is sometimes used in the most difficult cases, when other methods do not give the desired result.
The aquafumigator combines the advantages of both “hot fog” and smoke bombs, but is largely devoid of their shortcomings. The tool acts autonomously and requires a minimum of effort from a person when treating a room: there is no need to treat every crack in furniture and hard-to-reach places for insect shelters (as is required, for example, when using standard aerosol products). It is enough to place the aquafumigator in the water - and he will do the rest of the work on the destruction of insects himself.
At the same time, the product, when used correctly, is safe for people and pets (as well as for the interior of the apartment, which cannot be said, for example, about some insecticidal smoke bombs).And what is important, you can buy a Raptor aquafumigator for about 5-8 times less than you would have to pay if the premises were professionally processed by the pest control service.
Interestingly, the manufacturer in the description indicates that the system provides instant elimination of any insects in the room. Actually, the aquafumigator itself is called just that - "the system for the instant elimination of all types of insects." But isn't that too self-confident a statement?
Let's see what this device can actually do in practice and whether it can actually be used to effectively deal with bedbugs and cockroaches in an apartment ...
The principle of operation of the aquafumigator Raptor
Perhaps the main feature of the Raptor aquafumigator is the specific method of delivering the active substance to the insect body: it is released from the fumigator with water vapor, spreads throughout the room, penetrating even the smallest cavities and crevices in which bedbugs and cockroaches hide, and poisons them here .
A particular advantage of this principle of action is associated with the use of water vapor as an insecticide carrier:
- The steam initially has an elevated temperature, due to which it does not settle on surfaces as quickly as, for example, would occur when spraying the solution from a spray gun or aerosol can. Consequently, the insecticide can stay in the air for a long time, filling the entire volume of the room;
- Water vapor is absolutely fireproof - the use of the Raptor aquafumigator, in principle, is not capable of causing a fire;
- The steam coming out of the aquafumigator does not have an unpleasant odor (while, for example, when using insecticidal smoke bombs, a residual smell of burning can remain in the apartment for weeks).
The release of steam occurs when interacting with the water of the steam generator from the composition of the product. The task of the person here is simply to lower the metal container into a container with an aqueous solution (this container and solution are included in the kit), and steam will begin to be released.
On a note
It is especially important here that with steam the insecticide penetrates into such shelters of insects that a person, even with a strong desire, cannot reach. These can be deep gaps in the walls, narrow hard-to-reach spaces behind household appliances and furniture, cavities behind baseboards, holes in the household appliances themselves. Some of these places are practically inaccessible (for example, cracks in the walls), and some people may not even know about. But if bed bugs, cockroaches and even tiny pharaoh ants can get in there, so will the steam containing the insecticidal agent. As a result, many insects die right in the shelters and do not even have time to get out into the open space in the room.
However, it should be borne in mind that the penetrating power of steam is not absolute: for the extermination of some insects, it still makes sense to further facilitate the access of the insecticide to shelters. For example, it is advisable to open bedbug nests in a sofa filler or inside a computer system unit clogged with dust before activating the aquafumigator.
Nevertheless, the aquafumigator will still save a huge amount of effort when processing the premises.
Now let's see what happens when the steam, together with the insecticidal agent, comes into contact with insects...
The composition of the insecticidal mixture, as well as its effect on bedbugs and other insects
The aquafumigator contains several components:
- Insecticide cyfenotrin (aka gokilat);
- A steam generator is a substance that, in contact with water, leads to the release of a large amount of steam and its release into the air of the room;
- Binder.
The most responsible component here is cyfenotrin. It is he who poisons insects and ensures their rapid destruction. Its second name is gokilat, given to it by Japanese chemists who first synthesized it in the laboratory. For this, he, in fact, is called the "Japanese active ingredient" in the composition of the fumigator.
Like all pyrethroids, cyfenotrin has an acute nerve-paralytic effect on insects and other invertebrates, but it has low toxicity to humans and warm-blooded animals. Its molecules, penetrating either through the spiracles of the insect or through the chitinous integuments into the hemolymph, reach the nervous tissue and lead to a stable disruption of its cells. Because of this, there is a constant nervous excitement in the affected cells, the insect develops paralysis and it dies.
It is interesting
Cyfenotrin has a high lipophilicity, that is, the ability to dissolve in fats. Partly due to this, it quickly penetrates into the hemolymph of bugs through their chitinous covers, which, in principle, should just protect the insect from exposure to substances from the environment. The fact is that the chitinous cuticle on the body of insects is covered and permeated through with wax molecules - they prevent the evaporation of moisture from the body and protect the body from dehydration. Cyfenotrin, on the other hand, gradually diffuses from the outside of the cuticle to the inside, and from here it enters the hemolymph.
Such an action, realized upon contact of the agent with the chitinous covers of the insect, is called contact.
The specified mechanism of action of cyfenotrin is the same in relation to a wide variety of pests and parasites. Due to this, the Raptor aquafumigator effectively works not only against bedbugs, cockroaches, ants and fleas, but also against any other unwanted arthropods. So, it quickly kills including:
- Silverfish;
- Zhukov (grinders, barbels, weevils, leather beetles, flour beetles, pretenders);
- dust mites;
- Mosquitoes and flies (including fly larvae);
- Kivsyakov, drupes, flycatchers;
- Mokrits;
- Moth of all kinds (both food and clothing).
Aquafumigator was tested in laboratory conditions on 20 species of synanthropic insects, including black and red cockroaches, bed bugs, moths, ants. Against all "experimental" insects, the agent showed high efficiency.
On a note
Due to the fact that cyfenotrin is rarely used in household insecticidal preparations, insect populations resistant to it are not found in homes. Therefore, the likelihood that the aquafumigator will not poison cockroaches or bedbugs is extremely small.
Moreover, knowing this feature, professional exterminators sometimes use preparations based on cyfenotrin precisely in difficult cases when they have to poison insects that are resistant to some other active substances (for example, organophosphorus compounds or carbamates). Thus, against bedbugs that are resistant to "chemistry", a cyfenotrin-containing aquafumigator can be used at home.
Like other pyrethroids, cyfenotrin has a well-defined residual effect after settling on various surfaces. Due to this, those bugs that ended up in the most reliable shelters (for example, under the upholstery of sofas) and survived during the operation of the aquafumigator will be poisoned for another 7-12 days when moving along the surfaces on which the insecticide has settled.
At the same time, it is important to understand that steam with cyfenotrin acts relatively weakly on bedbug eggs (as well as cockroach ootheca, flea pupae and fly puparia).This is due to the fact that the shell of the eggs is very resistant to the penetration of poisons, and the active substance does not reach the embryos, even if it gets on the surface of the egg itself.
As a result, larvae can still continue to hatch from bedbug eggs a few days after using the aquafumigator. However, due to the long-term residual action of the drug, they die en masse already in the first days of life. However, in case of severe contamination of the premises, when many new larvae appear every day, single individuals can survive - in this case, it may be necessary to re-use the aquafumigator.
Application procedure
The procedure for using the Raptor aquafumigator is simple, and everything you need to use it, including water (more precisely, a pinkish aqueous solution), is already in the package.
For the destruction of insects in the room it is necessary:
- Remove a plastic jar from the box, and a bag with an aqueous solution and a metal container from the jar;
- Pour the liquid from the bag into a jar;
- Lower the container into the water (holes up);
- As soon as steam begins to escape from the container, immediately leave the room.
To get the maximum effect when processing the premises, it makes sense to pre-prepare it for the procedure:
- Furniture and household appliances are moved away from the walls - in this case, the steam will more fully cover the surface of the rear walls, along which insects most often move;
- If the fight against bedbugs is carried out, then the beds are also moved away from the walls, sofas, if possible, open and disassemble, mattresses are removed from the beds;
- If there is a fight against cockroaches, ants, silverfish, food moths, leather-eaters, then you need to open all the cabinets and bedside tables in the kitchen, and those that move away from the walls need to be moved away;
- When fighting clothes moths, you should open wardrobes, if possible, take out fur coats and coats from there, lay them out on the floor, sofas and beds;
- Foodstuffs standing openly (vegetables, fruits, bread) must be packed in bags and taken out of the room;
- Close windows and doors in the room so that the steam does not bleed through. It is advisable to temporarily seal the ventilation grilles with adhesive tape;
- If there is an aquarium in the room, then the compressor must be turned off in it, and it should be covered with a cover glass on top.
Pets and people must leave the premises for the period of treatment. Indoor plants can be left in their places - cyfenotrin is safe for them.
As soon as steam begins to be released from the fumigator, the person leaves the room and closes the door to it. At this time, the air will be filled with the finest insecticidal aerosol, the particles of which will penetrate into all the cracks and shelters of insects.
After 3-4 minutes, the steam ceases to be released, the aerosol cloud gradually spreads throughout the entire volume of the room and settles on the surfaces.
On a note
Approximately 15-20 minutes after the start of steam release, the first individuals of bedbugs begin to die. Part of the disoriented parasites, on which the insecticide has already begun to act, can get out of their shelters, climb walls, move to places where they have never been seen before.
Later, after returning to the apartment, it sometimes even seems to people that from the action of the aquafumigator, the bugs somehow immediately became larger and they “revived”. This is a misleading impression: in instinctive attempts to find a safe place, bed bugs come out en masse from their daytime hiding places, and residents see them in such numbers that they were not even aware of.
One aquafumigator can effectively fill a room with an area of 25-30 square meters with steam. m. If the room is larger and you need to process it entirely, then you should purchase and simultaneously activate the appropriate number of kits.
According to the instructions, after activating the aquafumigator, the room should be left closed for 2-4 hours. The longer it stays unventilated, the less chance insects will have to survive. If possible, it is better not to open and ventilate the room for 10-12 hours (for example, go to spend the night in another apartment).
Upon returning, you need to arrange a draft and thoroughly ventilate all rooms. After treatment, no plaque remains on interior items, but those surfaces that people and pets come into contact with most often should be wiped with a damp cloth to minimize contact with the insecticide. As a rule, these are door handles, chair armrests, table surfaces.
Those surfaces with which neither people nor animals come into contact should not be wiped. There is no need to wash everything in the apartment. The longer the insecticide is kept here, the less likely it is that any insects in the room will survive.
For this reason, the need for re-treatment often no longer arises. Although, according to the official instructions, 1-2 weeks after the first treatment, it is necessary to carry out a similar persecution with an aquafumigator a second time in order to poison the larvae that hatched from the surviving eggs.However, in the case of the fight against bedbugs, in fact, this is required only when the "young growth" of parasites in the apartment is found. If, after the first treatment, the bugs are nowhere else to be seen and they do not bother anyone at night, then there is no need to re-use the aquafumigator.
On a note
The steam generator included in the aquafumigator kit is intended for single use. The vaporizing agent in it is completely produced during the physicochemical reaction, so you should not disassemble it and try to somehow regenerate it.
How safe is the operation of an aquafumigator at home?
Like any other product, the active substance of which enters the air, the aquafumigator requires some care in handling it and observing safety measures.
To date, there are no known cases of poisoning with cyfenotrin in general or specifically with steam from the Raptor aquafumigator, which would require hospitalization and would threaten human life. However, with a gross violation of the safety measures specified in the instructions for use, the appearance of undesirable symptoms is quite possible - it can be a sore throat, cough, as well as headache, dizziness, nausea, general malaise, skin rash. As with any insecticidal agent, the reaction can be either poisoning if the insecticide is inhaled in large quantities, or allergic if the substance is deposited on the skin or mucous membranes of an allergic person.
On a note
The aquafumigator itself and the method of its use are thought out in such a way as to eliminate the risk of poisoning during its operation.The device can operate completely autonomously and does not require the presence of a person near it.
To avoid any unpleasant consequences when using an aquafumigator, the following rules must be observed:
- Before use, remove all people and pets from the premises;
- Immediately after activating the device and starting to release steam, leave the room;
- Return to the premises should be no earlier than 2 hours after the activation of the fumigator.
By following these simple rules, the risk of any undesirable consequences will be minimized.
On a note
The steam from the fumigator can activate certain types of fire alarm sensors (if they detect smoke in the room), so they must be turned off in advance.
Steam containing insecticide does not pose a danger to wallpaper, furniture, soft elements of sofas and beds, does not spoil stretch ceilings. After applying the aquafumigator, no visible marks remain on the surfaces.
Differences from similar means - smoke bombs and "hot fog"
As noted above, the principle of operation of the aquafumigator resembles that of smoke bombs, as well as that of a “hot fog” generator: the insecticide enters the room in the form in which it most effectively reaches the places of insect shelters.
But both over smoke bombs and over the “hot fog” generator, the aquafumigator has several clear advantages.
The fumigator differs from smoke bombs in complete fire safety and in the fact that the steam released from it does not leave a persistent smell of burning in the treated room.In addition, permethrin smoke bombs form a white coating on the ceiling, floor and interior items, and hexachlorane bombs, still sometimes used in agriculture, are simply dangerous to health (hexachlorane accumulates in the body and has a teratogenic effect, that is, it can cause developmental disorders). embryo).
There is another nuance: many insecticidal smoke bombs (Samuro, Quiet Evening, City), sold in online stores or in physical outlets, have classical insecticides often used in everyday life as active ingredients. More often it is permethrin, less often cypermethrin. To these insecticides, synanthropic insects - bedbugs, cockroaches, ants, moths - often already have resistance. Specially conducted experiments show that bugs and red cockroaches often caught in apartments do not die even 5 hours after, for example, a permethrin checker is lit right next to them.
The active component of the aquafumigator Raptor always poisons insects: there is no data on the identification of populations of bedbugs or cockroaches resistant to it.
The main advantage of the Raptor aquafumigator over the treatment of a room using the “hot fog” method is its low price. In stores, an aquafumigator is sold today for about 400 rubles. At the same time, one professional treatment of an apartment with “hot fog” will cost about 3,500 rubles. If the area is large, then more fumigators will be required, but professional pest control will also cost more.
Aquafumigator compatibility with other Raptor products
The principle of operation of the aquafumigator allows you to combine its use with the use of other products - both from the Raptor line and from other manufacturers.
For example, when fighting cockroaches after using a fumigator in places where insects can enter the room from neighbors, it is advisable to apply Raptor insecticidal gel and set up traps with poisoned baits (Raptor "Double Strength" traps) for the purpose of prevention. If an insect shelter is found, then it can be spot-treated with any insecticidal aerosol (from the Raptor line, for example, a universal aerosol or an aerosol from crawling insects can be used).
When destroying bedbugs, it is possible to combine the use of an aquafumigator with the preliminary treatment of the detected nests of parasites with a specialized aerosol Raptor from bedbugs.
How can you improve the efficiency of using aquafumigator
Despite the high penetrating power of steam from the aquafumigator, in some cases, furniture and insect hiding places should be prepared for the treatment of the room.
For example, it often happens that an old sofa is infected with bedbugs - there are holes in its upholstery, and staples have fallen out somewhere, with which the upholstery is attached to the frame. As a result, the bugs actively breed under the upholstery in the filler, and from such a nest gradually spread throughout the apartment.
With a sufficiently high density of upholstery and filler, steam will not penetrate into the sofa to a great depth. Therefore, in such cases, it is advisable to remove the upholstery from the sofa (although in practice, usually few people want to do this), remove the filler, and leave this entire “gutted” structure in the middle of the room for the duration of processing.
On a note
Even if the upholstery is intact, it is advisable to at least open the sofa itself, and if possible, disassemble it, since parasites often climb into the joints of soft parts that fit snugly against each other and thereby isolate the nests of bedbugs from insecticide penetration here.
Similarly, to combat cockroaches, it is advisable to open the nightstands and cabinets in the kitchen. To persecute the clothes moth, you need to open the wardrobes with clothes in which the larvae are found.
Finally, when using the Raptor aquafumigator, as well as other insecticidal agents, the universal rule is relevant: to completely remove insects from the premises, it is necessary to find and block the ways of their penetration here from the outside (from the entrance or from neighbors). If this is not done, then there is a risk that the remedy will have to be applied again and again, since new insects will come to the place of the dead. If the penetration paths are blocked, then even a single use of the aquafumigator may already be enough to completely destroy all pests and parasites in the apartment.
And in conclusion, a small summary: the Raptor aquafumigator, in terms of its consumer and functional characteristics, is really a non-standard, original and, most importantly, quite effective tool that helps to destroy pests and parasites even if they are resistant to standard household "chemistry" (Dichlorvos of different brands , Karbofos, etc.) It is only important to correctly apply it and not neglect preventive measures.
If you have personal experience of using the Raptor aquafumigator, be sure to leave your feedback at the bottom of this page.What insects did you use it against and was it effective specifically in your case?
A good example of the operation of the aquafumigator Raptor
